Rail joint



Nov. 30,1926. 1,608,639

7 G. w. WHITEMAN RAIL JOINT Filed July 14, 1926 am e win/ha am,

Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed July 14, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in splice bars for railroad rail joints.

The object of the invention is to provlde a splice bar of novel and efficient construction having parts which may be bent or displaced relatively to other parts thereof in a novel and advantageous manner when the bar is in service to take up the wear which occurs upon the central portions of splice bars forming parts of rail joints at the meeting ends of rail sections.

The invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts of thebar, whereby, when it is used in a rall joint and its web is bent relatively to its head and its base and is forced inwardly or toward the fishing space, the head or parts of the head of the bar will be forced up into firm engagement with the bottom surfaces of the heads of the meeting end portion-s of two rail sections at the joint thereof, as will be hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of a rail joint provided with splice bars embodying my invention, the splice bars being shown by full lines and the remaining parts of the joint being shown by .dot-and-dash lines.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the splice bars, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the remaining parts of the joint being shown in outline by dot-and-dash lines.

Referring to the drawings, 3, designate the m'eeting end portions of two rail sections, 4 the oppositely disposed splice bars and 5 the bolts which extend through the rail sections 3 and bars 4 to clamp and secure them together. a

Each splice bar 4 is formed of rolled steel and shaped in cross section throughout its length as shown in Fig. 2.

Each bar 4t comprises a head 6, a base 7 and a web 8 connecting the head 6 and base 7.

The head 6 is provided with a rail-engaging surface 9 adapted to bear against the bottom of one side of the rail head 10, and the base 7 is provided with a rail-engaging surface 11 adapted to bear against the top of one side of the rail base 12 when the splice bar is in service.

WVhen herein I speak of inwardly I means in the direction toward the rail, and when herein I speak of outwardly I mean Serial No. 122,328.

in the reverse direction, when the splice bar is in service.

The head 6 is provided with a longitudinally-extending, outwardly-projecting stiffening portion 13, and the base 7 is provided with a longitudinally-extending, outwardlyprojecting stiffening portion or flange 14:, the parts 13 and let being shaped as clearly shown in the drawings and projecting outwardly beyond a vertical plane extending from the outer surface of the web 8.

The web 8 increases in thickness from the longitudinal central portion thereof toward the head 6 and toward the base 7, and the outer surface of the web 8 is made convex in form, receding from its longitudinal center toward the head 6 and toward the base 7, as illustrated.

The web 8 is of outwardly bowed form, providing the upper portion 15, the axis of whose mass is directed inwardly from the longitudinal central portion of the web to the region of its connection with the head 6, as indicated by the line 16; and providing the lower portion 17 the axis of whose mass is directed inwardly from the longitudinal central portion of the web to the region of its connection with the base 7, as indicated by the line 18.

The longitudinal central portion 19 of the web 8 is weakened by being formed thinner than the remaining portions thereof, the region 20 of the connection of the head 6 with the web 8 is weakened by a longitudinal groove 21 formed in the outer portion of the bar, the region 22.01? the connection of the base 7 with the web 8 is weakened by a longitudinal groove 23 formed in the outer portion of the bar, and the central weakened portion 19 is located outwardly of a plane extending through the upper and lower weakened portions 20 and 22, respectively.

It will now be understood that when wear occurs between the bottom of the rail head 10 and the top surfaces of the splice bars 4 in the rail. joint, such wear can be compensated for by tightening the bolts 5. Then the bolts 5 are tightened, the splice bars will be bent in the regions of their weakened portion-s 1,9, 20 and 22, as inward pressure is exerted by the bolts 5 against the longitudinal central portions of the outwardly bowed webs 8, forcing such central portions inwardly and thereby press ing the base portion 7 of the splice bars downwardly and raising the head portions 6 boltsf and will be governed by theextent of wear between the splice bars/and the rail sections in such regions, such wear usually increasing'toward and being greatest'at the "central portion of the rail joint, consequent- 1y, the bolts 5 nearer the central portion of theirail joint will be tiglitened to a greater extent than those near the end portions of the joint, causing a greater raising of the central'portions'ofthe heads dot the splice bars than the end portions of the heads e ef- 'B 'y construct ngfand arrang ng the parts o'fthe bars as shown and described herein,

lsubstantiallythe full area of the rail en- -'ga'ging'surtace 9 of the head 6 s forced into engagement with the heads of the rail sections with substantially equal pressure throughout the fullarea of such surface, as

I thebolts are tightened and the heads 6 of the'b'ars4 are forced, upwardly, as previously described, 7 r

I claim as my invention: I, 1. A'splice bar comprising a head, abase,

land an outwardly bowed web connecting the head and thebaseand receding from its longitudinal central portion toward the head and toward the basean'd constructed to occupy a position outwardly of the fishing space of a rail when the bar is applied thereto. I V I 2. A splice bar comprising a head, a base,

7 and a web connecting the head and the base and constructed to extend outwardly of the fishing space of a rail when the baris applied thereto and having a convex'outer surtace which recedes from the longitudinal central portion thereof toward the head and toward the base. i

3. Asplice bar comprising a head, a base,

and a web connecting the head and the base and constructed to extend outwardly of the 50 fishingfspace of a rail when the bar is appl ed thereto and having a convex outer surface which recedes from the longitudinal c ent'ral portion thereof toward the head and toward the bas'ethe outer portion of the-bar haying alongitudinalgroove therein in the region of the connection of the web with thehead and a longitudinal groove therein "in the region ofthe connection of the web withfthe'hase, I p i I 1.4. lh's'plice bar cornprising'a head, a base, and an outwardly bowed web connecting the bead and the base and receding and increasing in thickness frointhe longitudinal central 'phrtio n thereof toward the head and toward the base.

5. A splice bar comprising a head,a base, and an outwardly bowed web connecting the head and the base and receding from its longitudiiial central portion toward the head "and toward the base, the outer portion of the bar having a longitudinal groove therein in the region'ot'the connection of the head withthe web, and the web increasing in thickness from the longitudinal central portion thereof toward the head and toward "the" base;

6. splice bar c'oniprisinga head, a base, and an outwardly bowed web connecting'the head and thebase and receding troin its longitudin al' central portion toward the head andtoward the base, the outer-portion of the bar hav nga longitudinal groove therein in the regiono fthe connection oftheh'ead with theweb, the outer'portion ofthefbar hat inga longitudinal grooye therein in the region ofthe' connection :of the base with the web, and the web 'increasing in thickness from the longitudinal portion there of towardthe head and toward the base.

7. A splice bar comprising a head, a'base,

and an outwardly bowed web connecting the head and thefbaseand receding from its longitudinal central portion toward the head and toward the'ba's'e, the outer portion or" the bar having a' longitudinal groove therein in the region of the connection of-thehead "withthe web, the hater the bar having a longitudinal groove therein in the lregion'of the connection of the base with ;the fweb, the web i'iicreasi iglin thickness from the, longitudinal central portion thereof toward the "head and toward'the base,

and the head "and the base each haying a part thereof projecting outwardly "beyond "a yerticalplane extending {T0111 the outer surface of the web.

S. A splicebarcomprising ahead having an upperfrailfengaging surface, a base'having- lowe r rail engagingsurface, and an outwardlybowed web connecting the head "and the base, the partsbeing constructed to cause the'h'ead to bGfOTCGCltlPWElIdlY when the bar is applied to a rail-and "the central portion oithe web is displacedjinwardly and to cause substantially thefu'llarea of the rail engagingsurface of the head to contactwit'hthe 'railwhen the head is forced upwardly.

9. A splice bar comprising ahead lltVlIlg "an upper rail engaging surface, a base havinga lower rail engaging surface, a web connecting'lthe head and the base, the parts 1 being constructed to locate the web outwardly of the'fishing'space of a rail when the bar is applied thereto and to cause the'head to be forced upwardly "when the web is bent toward the fishing'space and to cause substantially thefull area of the rail engaging surface of the head "to c'ontactwith' the rail when the head is forced upwardly.

10. A splice hzir comprising a head, a base, nection oi the base With the Web, said cennncl 21 Web connecting the head and the base tral weakened portion being outwardly of and having a central weakened portion at a plane extending through said upper and 1 the central portion of the Web, an upper lower weakened portions.

weakened portion in the region of the con- In testimony whereof I my signature.

neotion of the head with the Web and a lower weakened portion in the region of the oon- GEORGE W. lVHITEMAN. 

